
Outreach effort supports senior citizens
The elderly residents of the Van Riebeeck, Jack Cotton and President flats, as well as Pioneer Home, were blessed with food parcels and blankets by a local organisation and church.
• Also read: Together they bloom
Together We Bloom and Ruimsig Gemeente church donated over 150 blankets as part of their outreach programme to assist the needy and less privileged of this community.
According to the organiser and project director, Stefan Zeelie, this initiative is among many outreach programmes organised by Together We Bloom to make a difference in the community.
This initiative by Horticulture South Africa aims to assist less privileged people by supporting feeding schemes, education, and healthcare initiatives, raising funds from the national and international business community,' he said.
According to councillor Mark Trump, the residents are mainly former municipal workers who are SASSA recipients.
'We assisted 132 elderly people, living and managing to just survive on a SASSA pension of R2 230 a month, which needs to cover rent, water and electricity, food, medicine, and necessities such as toiletries and cleaning supplies.
'All residents of these municipal flats were blessed with a winter blanket and a hearty meal pack from Together We Bloom. With the rising costs of living, basic food staples, and inflation of electricity and water tariffs, many elderly persons on SASSA pensions are forced to ration down to just one meal a day, which is very limited, sometimes just a slice of bread and some soy mince. Just a simple cup of coffee is a luxury,' Mark said.
Stefan thanked the organisation and the church for assisting their community.
'As a community, everything negative or positive affects the health of our society, which then indirectly affects every one of us.
We need to continue working together to foster a culture of compassion, empathy, cooperation and mutual respect,' he said.
Anyone who would like to get involved should visit www.togetherwebloom.co.za for more information.
'A community thrives by working together through creating a good culture of social cohesion.'
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Lucky Lotto Plus 2 winner celebrates R2 million jackpot with a dance of joy
"I'm very happy," said the winner of more than R2 million. Image: File THE lucky winner of over R2 million in the Lotto Plus 2 jackpot danced with joy when he found out he had won. Although he was hopeful he could win, he said it came as a shock because he did not play the National Lottery games often. 'I knew it was possible but I did not expect it. I'm very happy,' he said. He said he picked his numbers randomly from the top of his head and kept his ticket tucked away safely. He later checked his numbers at a local shop and found out he had actually won. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'I've never won such a big amount of money in my life." The first people he shared the news with were his children. With his winnings, he plans to furnish his home and purchase a car to enhance his mobility. He is looking forward to creating a comfortable living space for himself. The winning ticket was purchased in Taung, North West, for draw number 2539 on May 7, with a R30 wager, using the manual selection method.

IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Life sentence for man who killed farmer while disguised as a Muslim woman for insurance payout
Francisco Erasmus has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Image: Supplied The Oudtshoorn Regional Court has sentenced a murderer to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of an elderly farmer for insurance money. Francisco Erasmus, who was well known to the victim, Abraham Herandien, 60, had a detailed plan on how to kill the man. The court heard that the victim and his wife lived on Bloupunt Farm just outside Oudtshoorn. The couple met Erasmus in 2019, and he used to bring them food. He also took the couple to different banks in Oudtshoorn and George to open bank accounts and apply for policies. It was found that Erasmus and his wife were beneficiaries of the victim's policies. On March 21, 2023, Erasmus rented a vehicle in George and drove wearing black clothing to the farm. The victim's wife said she could only see his eyes as he was dressed in all black. Her husband told her that the person was going to help him with his application for his South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant, and they left. Later, provincial traffic officers came across the rented vehicle next to Dysellsdorp Road in the direction of Oudtshoorn. The registration plates were concealed with dirt and not visible and they asked the vehicle to pull aside, the driver drove off. A short chase ensued after traffic officers switched on their sirens and blue lights. The vehicle came to a halt. Erasmus got out of the vehicle dressed in a woman's Muslim attire and parda with only his eyes visible. Officers found the injured elderly man in the passenger seat. The court heard they had noticed blood on the passenger side door and the inside of the vehicle. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Herandien had been stabbed. When asked who stabbed him, he pointed to Erasmus, who at the time was standing on the driver's side of the vehicle. Officers directed Erasmus to drive ahead of them in the direction of Oudtshoorn knowing there was a roadblock ahead. Erasmus was arrested at the roadblock and Herandien was declared dead. In the vehicle, police found a knife blade, a make-up kit, a lady's bra. Contact lens holders, syringes, and a black material bag. The State said this was evident; Erasmus wanted to hide his identity. The State asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment. It further argued that Erasmus could not be rehabilitated, considering his previous convictions. Prosecutor Advocate Michelle Weyers also introduced Erasmus previous convictions which include theft (1992), two counts of attempted murder (1999), two counts of robbery (1999), four counts of possession of an illegal firearm and possession of illegal ammunition (1999), malicious property damage (1999), assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (1999), theft (1999), escape or attempt to escape from custody(1999) and reckless and negligent driving (1999). The offences were committed in the Eastern Cape, where Erasmus and three others shot at police in Steytlerville. They fled the scene, and police arrested them in Beaufort West. Police took Erasmus and his co-accused to Correctional Services in Steytlerville. They asked the head of the prison to make a call, assaulted him, took firearms from the safe, and escaped from prison. Police arrested them later. The court agreed with the state and sentenced him to life imprisonment. IOL


The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Outreach effort supports senior citizens
The elderly residents of the Van Riebeeck, Jack Cotton and President flats, as well as Pioneer Home, were blessed with food parcels and blankets by a local organisation and church. • Also read: Together they bloom Together We Bloom and Ruimsig Gemeente church donated over 150 blankets as part of their outreach programme to assist the needy and less privileged of this community. According to the organiser and project director, Stefan Zeelie, this initiative is among many outreach programmes organised by Together We Bloom to make a difference in the community. This initiative by Horticulture South Africa aims to assist less privileged people by supporting feeding schemes, education, and healthcare initiatives, raising funds from the national and international business community,' he said. According to councillor Mark Trump, the residents are mainly former municipal workers who are SASSA recipients. 'We assisted 132 elderly people, living and managing to just survive on a SASSA pension of R2 230 a month, which needs to cover rent, water and electricity, food, medicine, and necessities such as toiletries and cleaning supplies. 'All residents of these municipal flats were blessed with a winter blanket and a hearty meal pack from Together We Bloom. With the rising costs of living, basic food staples, and inflation of electricity and water tariffs, many elderly persons on SASSA pensions are forced to ration down to just one meal a day, which is very limited, sometimes just a slice of bread and some soy mince. Just a simple cup of coffee is a luxury,' Mark said. Stefan thanked the organisation and the church for assisting their community. 'As a community, everything negative or positive affects the health of our society, which then indirectly affects every one of us. We need to continue working together to foster a culture of compassion, empathy, cooperation and mutual respect,' he said. Anyone who would like to get involved should visit for more information. 'A community thrives by working together through creating a good culture of social cohesion.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!